Caribbean Times 4th Issue - Thursday 29th September 2016

14 c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g
Thursday 29th September 2016
Stanikzai, spinners topple Bangladesh
MIRPUR - Afghanistan
earned a hard-fought
two-wicket win in the second
ODI against Bangladesh
in Mirpur to level the threematch
series, banking on
astute planning to leave the
home crowd at the Shere Bangla
National Stadium stunned.
The win came mainly through
a 107-run partnership for the
fifth wicket between Mohammad
Nabi and captain Asghar
Stanikzai in a chase of 209.
Both batsmen were out with
Afghanistan 35 away from a
win, but Najibullah Zadran
rallied the lower order and the
side scraped through with two
balls to spare.
Nabi and Stanikzai came
together at the crease in the
16th over with Afghanistan at
63 for 4, following Mohammad
Shahzad’s miscued slog
to backward point off Shakib
Al Hasan. The pair struck a
four and a six off Shakib in the
same over but had to wait another
5.4 for another boundary.
Despite the lull in boundaries,
the pair kept rotating the
strike and Stanikzai fought
cramps to score his sixth ODI
fifty, which included four
fours and two sixes. Nabi,
who had taken the wickets of
Shakib and Mashrafe Mortaza
earlier in the match, missed
out on the landmark when
Mashrafe trapped him lbw
in the 40th over, and the side
lost Stanikzai in the next over,
caught at the deep square leg
Asghar Stanikzai scored a crucial half-century in a tricky chase for
Afghanistan
boundary off debutant Mosaddek
Hossain.
Rashid Khan became
Shakib’s fourth victim, in his
final over, trapped plumb in
front for 5, with Afghanistan
20 runs away from the target.
Mirwais Ashraf played out
Shakib’s last two deliveries
carefully, and the bowler ended
with returns of 4 for 47.
Najibullah and Ashraf then
saw off the next over, which
was Mashrafe’s last.
The match could have still
swung Bangladesh’s way had
Mushfiqur Rahim completed
an easy stumping of Zadran
with 13 runs required. Bangladesh’s
players were crestfallen,
but Taskin ended up
removing the left-hander in
the final over with the scores
level. The winning hit came
from the other Zadran, Dawlat,
who slashed a boundary
through backward point.
Afghanistan’s chase had
started with Shahzad flicking
a four off the first ball before
Nawroz Mangal took two
fours off Shakib in the fourth
over. Two balls later, however,
Mangal misread Shakib’s
length and spooned a catch to
cover. Shakib went onto have
Rahmat Shah lbw for a twoball
duck in the same over.
Shahzad sparkled briefly
and added 45 runs for the
third wicket with Hashmatullah
Shahidi, who was trapped
lbw for 14 by Mosaddek off
his first ball in ODI cricket.
Shakib then had Shahzad
skewing a catch to backward
point for a run-a-ball 35.
Bangladesh’s innings
would have ended sooner
had it not been for the 43-
run stand for the tenth wicket
between Mosaddek and
Rubel, who kept out Rashid’s
hat-trick delivery in the 43rd
over. Rashid was rampant at
that stage, having removed
Taijul and Taskin off successive
balls. Mosaddek finished
with an unbeaten 45, including
four boundaries and two
sixes. The scoop over long
leg and pull over midwicket
stood out. When he had come
out to bat, Bangladesh were
138 for 5 with Shakib having
been given out lbw to a debatable
decision. Mosaddek saw
wickets tumble around him,
but stayed composed.
Earlier, Mushfiqur and
Mahmudullah added 61 for
the third wicket, but Bangladesh
lost their last seven
wickets for 86 runs. That
proved the turning point. (ES-
PNcricinfo)